I've recently had a colonoscopy and the GI said that my colon is "tortuous" with "spasms" and "twists" all over the place. She said that many times she thought she wasn't even going to be able to complete the procedure and had to use compression many times.

My question is: is there a cure for this?

I'm assuming that I can handle this and would like to know some positive feedback so that I don't freak out. THanks! :))

Anyone who deals with life-time constipation will have a "redundant" or "tortuous" colon. All that means is that it has basically stretched out of its anatomically correct position and has a few more loops and twists. Usually, it's not that big of a deal unless the colon twists like a kink in a garden hose and cuts off the blood supply. Believe me - you'd KNOW it if that happened! I lost a good chunk of colon to just that situation.

The worst part of a redundant colon is that it causes even more constipation because there's that much more mileage for the stool to travel and thus get even more dried out. A real vicious circle. All you can do is keep yourself as regular as you possibly can. Hope this info helps a bit. Living in the Republic of Texas minus a gallbladder, a couple of cervical discs, appendix, uterus, and 18" of colon; but living with my wonderful husband, 2 dogs, 1 cockatiel, and 2 gold fish.

I think what the gastro doc meant by "untwisting" is that sometimes they can straighten things out with the scope. It's not a permanent fix. The large intestine is normally held in place except for the lower sigmoid portion that just kind of floats around in your lower pelvis. With a redundant colon, those "extra" parts also will kind of float around - much like the small intestine and sigmoid colon. That is why it's not a permanent fix when the doc can straighten out difficult twists and turns with the scope. Am I making any sense? LOL!

If you have a volvulus (kinked like the garden hose analogy) the pain is unbelievable. Your abdomen will blow up alarmingly, and you cannot pass gas or anything else. If obstructed long enough, you'll start throwing up feces since there is no place for it to go but up. Like I said before - you'll KNOW if happens! That is a medical emergency and must be corrected surgically.Living in the Republic of Texas minus a gallbladder, a couple of cervical discs, appendix, uterus, and 18" of colon; but living with my wonderful husband, 2 dogs, 1 cockatiel, and 2 gold fish.

Hi Friendlygal, I've had 2 colonoscopy's and been told both times that I had a "loopy / twisted colon" both doctors had a hard time getting through that area. I asked if it could be corrected with surgery and my doc said no. Take care and I hope you find relief soon!